Wireless lighting control systems may utilize radio frequency (RF) communication to communicate control signals to an antenna element mounted in a lighting fixture. For example, a user may turn on, turn off, or dim a light using wireless control. Specifically, a user may use a portable electronic device such as, for example, a smartphone or tablet computer that includes wireless control capabilities in order to communicate with the antenna element located within the lighting fixture.
A home, office, or other building typically includes numerous lighting fixtures for illumination. The lighting fixtures may be connected to a gateway that enables wireless communication between a user's portable electronic device and the lighting fixtures. The gateway is an electronic device used to wirelessly connect the portable electronic device to the lighting fixtures. In particular, the gateway may be wirelessly connected to the lighting fixtures using any number of low-power wireless communication protocols such as, for example, Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) or ZigBee®.
Lighting manufacturers currently produce lighting fixtures compatible with only a single wireless protocol as well as a single type of gateway device made by a specific manufacturer. In other words, lighting fixtures currently available typically only have the capability to be wirelessly connected using a specific wireless protocol (i.e., ZigBee®) as well as with a specific model number of a gateway device produced by a single manufacturer. As a result, end users always have to purchase specialized bulbs that are compatible with only one specific wireless protocol and gateway device.